CRIME
Sexual assault cases rise
While reported cases of sexual assault on men have seen a sharp increase in the past 20 years, the majority of incidents still involve women as victims, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:10, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday. Between 1997 and last year, a total of 131,134 sexual assault cases were reported, with the number of female victims accounting for 90 percent of the total, or 10.52 times that of male victims, according to ministry statistics. However, the number of cases involving male victims has risen significantly from 19 in 1997 to 1,159 last year, the data showed. The statistics also reveal that the percentage of stranger-perpetrated sexual assault cases fell from 25.81 percent to 4.36 percent, while that of acquaintance-perpetrated cases jumped from 12.98 percent to 75.65 percent.
EDUCATION
Graduations put on hold
An increasing number of university students are postponing their graduation, mainly to develop specialized skills in different fields, the Ministry of Education said. Ministry data showed a total of 48,000 students are to postpone their graduation this academic year, an increase of 1.4 percent year-on-year. The number is 6.6 percent higher than in the 2011-2012 school year, with most of the growth coming among female students, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said. In its analysis of the figures, the agency said some of those delaying their graduation were doing so to pursue a double major or a minor in another field to develop interdisciplinary skills, seen by many as critically important to success in a constantly changing economic environment. Others are extending their time in school because they have not met the necessary graduation requirements or for technical reasons, the agency said.
TRANSPORTATION
Slow tunnel drivers fined
Since a crackdown that began on Monday last week, 11 tickets for driving at less than 70kph in the Hsuehshan Tunnel have been issued, the Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau said on Tuesday. Each of the drivers was fined between NT$3,000 and NT$6,000, the bureau said. Traffic flow and speeds of vehicles using the tunnel have increased, which is a key part of reducing congestion on the Chiang Wei-shui Memorial Freeway (National Freeway No. 5) which connects Taipei and Yilan County. Some have blamed slow driving in the tunnel for worsening the problem, prompting the bureau to increase in the minimum speed in the tunnel from 60kph to 70kph on March 10, with a one-month grace period so that drivers could adapt to the new rule.
WEATHER
Cold front to bring rain
The north and east of the nation are likely to see rainfall over the coming week with the arrival of a cold front and the strengthening of northeasterly winds, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. Northern and eastern Taiwan can expect intermittent rain today as the front approaches, while central and southern areas could see rain or thunderstorms as a cloud system moves north from the south, the bureau said. Temperatures in the north and northeast are forecast to drop tomorrow as the front passes across the nation and the northeasterly winds strengthen, while heavier rain or thunderstorms are expected in western and northeastern areas. From Saturday to Monday, cloud and rain from southern China are forecast to move east, bringing intermittent rain to northern and eastern parts of the nation, the bureau said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese